"Celebrate and explore the rich tradition of African American poetry through essays on literary milestones, intersections of music, poetry and art, and profiles and poems of historical and contemporary poets who continue to pioneer new ground while keeping an eye on the past." From the Academy of American Poets.

"The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood."

Texts, videos, historical information and more provided by The Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

From the Library of Congress. Includes images and text. Topics include "African-American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship," "The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress," "Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s-1960s," "Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938," and "Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860."

"This online music collection includes genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, sacred music, and more. There are approximately 16,000 tracks of historical recordings." Available to members of Middletown Thrall Library.

PBS presents a guide to Black History with historical highlights in areas such as "Arts & Culture," "Race and Society," and "Profiles." Additional information and activity information is available for teachers/parents and children. Note the links at the top of PBS' page as well: Timeline, Reference Room, Kids, Classroom, Community, and Resources. Over 300 articles on famous African-Americans and notable events in Black History are available in the "Reference Room" at that site.

"The AFRO-American Newspapers, one of the nation's oldest news organizations dedicated to covering the African American community, has created a comprehensive collection of over a million articles that captures the African American experience in business, civil rights, education, health, law, and sports beginning in the late 19th century. Google partnered with the AFRO and helped to digitize the newspaper's historic archives and make them searchable on-line and available to anyone, anywhere in the world."

Includes: The American Image: Portrait of Black Chicago, Black Family Research: Using Records of the Post Civil War Federal Agencies at the National Archives, The Freedmen's Bureau Preservation Project, and more. From the The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

"interviews conducted by Quintard Taylor and his associates, Charles Ramsay and John Dawkins. They interviewed African American pioneers and their descendents throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, from 1972-1974." The Real Audio Player (or compatible media player) required to hear the interviews.

A collection and directory of sources for six centuries of African American History. Includes an online encyclopedia of people, places, churches, associations and events. From a professor of American History at University of Washington. This a wonderful place to start research or to spend some time browsing.

Archived website (via Archive.org). View a timeline, explore eras in Black History, access hundreds of full text articles arranged by subject, audio/video clips, and a bibliography. Additional links and a study guide are available at the bottom of their page.

From New York Public Library. Described as followed by NYPL: "In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience presents more than 16,500 pages of texts, 8,300 illustrations, and more than 60 maps. The Web site is organized around thirteen defining migrations that have formed and transformed African America and the nation. Each migration is presented through five units: 1. A narrative; 2. About 100 illustrations, each with caption, and bibliographical, indexing, and ordering information; 3. From twenty to forty research resources consisting of essays, books, book chapters, articles, and manuscripts; 4. Maps; 5. Lesson plans for teachers."

Access information in the following categories: History and Timelines, Contemporary Issues, Special Features (Quotations, Inventors, Harlem Renaissance and more), Holidays, Education, Awards and Firsts, Quizzes & Crosswords

Bibliographies and other information on topics including: African American Art and Artists, African American Teaching Resources, African American Inventors, African American Stories for Children, Always There: The African American Presence in American Quilts, Before Freedom Came: African American Life in the Antebellum South, Body and Soul: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Harlem Renaissance, Harriet Tubman: A Selected Children's Bibliography, When the Spirit Moves: African American Dance in History and Art. Please note: you must first select (check) "African American History" in their "Topics" list and click the "Search Topics" button. You might also want to check out their African American Cultural Heritage and Educator Resources pages.

"Voyage to Discovery is a multimedia educational initiative highlighting African-American contributions to the country's maritime heritage while fostering increased participation in marine careers and ocean conservation. Journey through time to discover the untold stories of African-Americans and the sea through education, archaeology, science - and underwater exploration!" From NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries' Maritime Heritage Program, Murrain Associates,Inc., and the National Association of Black Scuba Divers.

Civil Rights Movement & Leaders

Archived website (via Archive.org). "Profiles of less-prominent African American heroes." From the U.S. Department of State: "Help us write this book. We'll post the first chapters here at regular intervals and we ask readers to suggest future chapters we will include in the Living Book."

Archived website (via Archive.org). "This book recounts how African-American slaves and their descendants struggled to win - both in law and in practice - the civil rights enjoyed by other Americans. It is a story of dignified persistence and struggle, a story that produced great heroes and heroines, and one that ultimately succeeded by forcing Americans to confront squarely the shameful gap between their universal principles of equality and justice and the inequality, injustice, and oppression faced by millions of their fellow citizens." Adobe PDF format. From the U.S. Department of State.

"Search here for information on over 1000 civil rights movement figures, events and organizations; a chronology of the movement, and full-text documents published online." From The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.

OpenCourseWare (OCW)

Free Online Lessons + Learning Materials from Univerities

"The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans' urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X." From Yale University.

"This course introduces the viewer to African-American history, with particular emphasis on the political thought and protest movements of the period after 1930, focusing on selected individuals who have shaped and been shaped by modern African-American struggles for freedom and justice." From Stanford University.

"This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to important historical, cultural, literary, and political issues concerning African Americans. Through critical readings of literary, artistic, and filmic texts, this course provides an overview of African American experiences from the 17th through mid-20th centuries. Emphasis will be placed on developing an understanding of the historical and cultural experiences of African Americans from the beginning of the Transatlantic Slave Trade through the Civil Rights Movement. To focus our journey, the course begins with a discussion of the discourse of African American Studies as an academic discipline. Students will proceed to examine the process of forced emigration from Africa, chattel slavery in the British Colonies, the formation of African American identity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and struggles for social transformation and resistance by African Americans in the United States." From University of California, Irvine.

"This class is an interdisciplinary survey that explores the experiences of people of African descent through the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. It connects the experiences of African Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Activities include lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students." From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Photographs & Documents

"The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts captured by photographers. In celebration of Black History Month, TIME looks at images of African-American soldiers and their families who played myriad roles in the country's bloodiest conflict."

"Several thousand items ranging from historical documents and rare visual materials to contemporary photo-journalism, relating to the entirety of African American history from the 16th century to the present." From New York Public Library (NYPL).

"396 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, published from 1822 through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics." From the Library of Congress' American Memory Exhibit.

"The William A. Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs provides almost 350 images showing African Americans and related military and social history. The Civil War era is the primary time period covered, with scattered examples through 1945."

For Teachers

"To help you integrate Black History Month into your classroom, we offer a selection of lesson plans that cover a variety subjects and that can be adapted to fit multiple grade levels." From the National Education Association (NEA).

"Celebrate Black History Month in your classroom this February with 17 lesson plans and resources that cover topics ranging from important civil rights anniversaries to discussions about race in current events. These resources provide authentic student-driven learning experiences that will help all kids understand and honor Black History Month." From PBS NewsHour.

"Explore the fight for voting rights as well as the racial history of the United States in sports and schools. Study maps, baseball cards and political cartoons as well as pamphlets, legal documents, poetry, music, and the personal correspondence and oral histories of the famous and the ordinary." From the Library of Congress. See also their From Slavery to Civil Rights website.

"Lessons on Black History in general." Topics include The Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance, The Civil Rights Movement, Affirmative Action, Race and the Media, and more. From The New York Times Learning Network.